TEHRAN - An Iranian diplomat claimed the United States' goal is to destabilize southwestern Asia and the Middle East with its occupation of Iraq.

Ambassador-designate to Bahrain, Hussein Amir Abdollahian said in Tehran there was no room for non-Persian Gulf armies in the region, Iran's Fars news agency reported.

"The region is currently in a very sensitive and fragile situation due to the massive presence of foreign forces," Abdollahian said. "The arrogant powers intend to gain dominance over the region's security, energy resources and markets."

For his part, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he had no reason to believe the United States was a military threat to Iran but the country was prepared, the state-run Irna news agency reported.

"I consider it unlikely the United States would take any such illogical and illegal action because it would turn into a joke worldwide," the president said.

Ahmadinejad said the United States doesn't favor unity among regional nations and wants to pit them against one another so as to continue their presence in Iraq, the Irna report said.